St. Louis -- Bell Community Garden

Object Details

General: Established in 1986, this 1 acre property is home to one St. Louis' first community gardens. A non-profit organization called Gateway Greening became the impetus of this garden and many other community gardens around St. Louis when their board agreed that the vacant lots around the city could be better utilized by the community. Together with the St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority, they started the "Adopt a Lot" program that allowed community members to adopt a lot for $1 a season. The Bell Community Garden was one of the first to be adopted. The cost to plant a bed is $40 per year.; The property now features 55 raised vegetable beds, a water source, vegetable preparing station, and a wooden composting station equipped with an informational guide to composting. A large wooden pergola with two benches offers visitors a space to admire the garden. The garden adjoins the Gateway Greening demonstration garden that began in 1989. This includes 20 garden demonstration beds that produce approximately 1,500 pounds of food which is distributed to volunteers, staff, and donated to soup kitchens. When Gateway Greening moves their Demonstration Garden to a new location, the land will be occupied by a land trust and the property will be operated and maintained by the community gardeners.; Persons associated with the garden include: City of St. Louis (former owner, 1986); Gateway Greening (1986 – present); Matt Schindler (executive director, N/A).

Topic: Gardens -- Missouri -- St. Louis; Bell Community Garden (St. Louis, Missouri)

See more items in: The Garden Club of America collection; The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Missouri

Sponsor: A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.

Custodial History: This garden documentation was facilitated by the Ladue Garden Club in 2021.

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Collection Rights: Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Restrictions: Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.